Endless Love Part Two
by FenZev
Summary: Cullen abandoned his position of Knight-Commander of Kirkwall, leaving the templar life behind him to spend eternity with his one true love, Solona. They had agreed to stay out of the mage/templar war, but recent events will force them both to be at the center of it. He's with the Inquisition, she's a rebel mage in Redcliffe. What does this mean for their future? An AU/DAI fic.
1. Chapter 1

**_Author's Note: Welcome to part two of Endless Love! This story will follow Cullen & Solona as they deal with the events of DAI, but I'll be incorporating the AU elements of part one. I will try to keep this story as stand-alone as possible so reading part one isn't necessary, but of course I'd love it if you'd check out that story if you haven't already._**

**_Those of you that have read part one will notice this chapter is from the last chapter I posted there (and have since deleted for the purpose of creating this second story). Sorry for _**_**the déjà vu, please forgive me ;)**_

_***Spoiler alert*: Yes this is an AU story, but it will rely heavily on DAI content. **_

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><p><em>She ran. Through the woods, through the darkness, through the shadows cast down from the moon above. Solona ran, ignoring the pain in her legs, the tightness in her chest, her lungs screaming for air. She couldn't stop to rest, to breath, not with the Seekers closing in. They were coming for her, for the secret that she knew, wishing to silence her before she told all the world. <em>

_A warning. A lifeless body, staring back at her with clouded eyes, a tranquil symbol branded on her forehead. A symbol that they knew, that she was next. She'd known too much, learned of the darkness that the Chantry wished to keep hidden, and she was killed. Dagna, a friend, the one who discovered what the leaders of the templars were doing to their own. And now she was dead. And Solona was next. Phylactery in hand, the closest enforcers of the Divine herself were coming to put an end to Solona, to what she knew, to save the precious reputation of the Order._

_There was only one that could save her, that would protect her, that could shelter her from this storm. Stolen kisses in the Circle, a painful reunion of shame and remorse, years of silence and wondering and forgiving. Through it all, he was the only one she had ever loved, ever counted on, ever needed this much. He would be her savior, duty be damned, because he loved her. She loved him. Whether true or not, it was the only thing that kept Solona on her feet. The hope and prayer that Cullen would understand._

_And he did. He had. Saved her from the darkness, from those pursuing her, allowing her to breath once more. Helped her escape, left his life to be with her. Together they fled, with the help of old friends, leaving behind the life of Wardens, of templars, of Chantry secrets and inner demons. They found their happiness once again in each other, a flame that never died, an endless love. Her phylactery destroyed, they were free to live in peace, content, ready to spend the rest of their days making up for lost time. Nothing would come between them again; distance, time, politics, nothing._

_Until now._

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><p>Solona sat on the fur covered bed, letting her fingers wander through the soft hairs where Cullen normally slept. He hadn't been gone long, but the ache in her heart remained. The silence in the cottage they shared in Redcliffe filled her with a longing she hadn't felt since before they were reunited.<p>

But that dream was shattered. Her lover, her savior, had broken his promise to her.

"_I don't understand why you must go," Solona said to him as he folded a shirt and placed it in his pack. "We agreed this wasn't our battle to fight. You swore to me…"_

_Cullen avoided her pleading eyes as he prepared to depart. "This is not something we can ignore Solona," he said. "An isolated incident, sure. But it's happening all over Thedas, and I am needed now more than ever."_

"_You are needed here," she whispered, ignoring the rogue tears that fell from her eyes. "We have been together for less than a year, and already you are so quick to abandon me."_

_His head turned swiftly toward her. "I am doing this to protect you," he whispered. "Can't you see that?"_

"_I see you packing," Solona stated. "Leaving me, to join with whoever keeps sending you those letters. I see myself here, alone, without you by my side. That is all I see Cullen, that is all I see."_

_Cullen reached out to her and caressed her cheek. "Please do not do this, I beg of you."_

_Solona pulled away from him. "I beg the same of you, and yet you still prepare to leave."_

"_My brothers are dying," Cullen said, shoving another shirt into his pack. "The Order is in disarray. I can no longer ignore what is going on around us while we sit here and pretend all is right in the world. If we have any hope of a future together, I must act. Now."_

"_Then let me come with you," Solona said, though not for the first time that day. "Your insistence that I remain behind and do nothing is as insulting as you feel I'm being by asking you to stay."_

"_I need to know you are safe," he reminded her. "Once I find out the extent of what is happening, I will send word whether or not you should join me."_

No word had come, and Solona feared which each passing day that it never would.

A rumbling under her feet pulled her from her thoughts, and Solona retreated from the comfort of their bed to look out the window. Small pebbles on the ground began to shake and move, and a prickling sensation caused the hair on her arms to rise. She could feel the pull of the Fade start to awaken the magic within her. Swiftly she exited the cottage, looking for any sign of what may be causing the change in the air.

What sounded like thunder brought her attention to the sky, but there were no dark rainclouds to accompany the noise. The blue tones of a normal day turned to an odd shade of green while the rumbling continued. Squinting against the brightness of the sun, Solona could see streaks of lightning that appeared to strike out from the center of a swirling vortex, directly above their home in Redcliffe.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Author's Note: Many thanks for the reviews/faves/follows! I was a bit unsure as to whether or not to continue their journey, but your support has convinced me that it's meant to be told. So thank you.**_

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><p>"You're worried," Leliana said as she joined Cullen to watch the sparring soldiers.<p>

The former templar nodded but said nothing, his mind racing with worst case scenarios and gruesome possibilities. Leliana's scouts had reported earlier that day what they uncovered in Redcliffe. The rebel mages had gathered in the town which was now sealed off from the rest of the Hinterlands. Josephine informed them that the word among the nobles was Arl Teagan had fled to Denerim, having been removed from Redcliffe castle for some unknown reason. No one was permitted to enter or leave, and they suspected Solona was trapped within.

"She would not side with them willingly," Cullen stated. "We agreed to stay out of it."

"And yet you are here," Leliana pointed out. "Perhaps Solona felt as if she needed to do something as well."

Cullen turned to look at the bard. "She will become nothing more than a pawn," he told her. "The mages know about the Inquisition, and many in the city know of her attachment to me. They will use our relationship to their advantage."

"Do not jump to conclusions Commander," Leliana told him. "The Herald has returned from Orlais and may have a way into Redcliffe. Let him see what he can find out and then we will plan accordingly."

Cullen shook his head. "You'd expect me to leave Solona's life in the hands of Trevelyan? The man barely knows which end is up these days."

Leliana laughed. "With good reason. His life has been twisted in a thousand different ways since the conclave. But he's done well so far, considering, and would bring less suspicion than you marching through Redcliffe with your soldiers."

"I would march through all of Thedas to have her returned to me," Cullen whispered.

Leliana placed her hand on his shoulder. "I know. We'll get her back, I promise."

"And what of the others?" Cullen asked. "Do we tell them? About what really happened in Kirkwall?"

Leliana nodded. "If we expect the support of the Inquisition to find Solona, we must. Cassandra won't be too happy about my deception, but there is little she can do about it now."

"I'm surprised Varric has kept our secret this long," Cullen said. "I half expected the dwarf to out me right there on the field in Haven."

"He knows what's at stake," Leliana pointed out. "We all do. Cassandra will see reason. If this Inquisition is going to work, we will need a leader, and there is no one better qualified than Solona."

"Hold on a minute," Cullen protested. "That was not part of the agreement. We find her, make certain she is safe, and then leave her out of this."

Leliana laughed. "You think that is an option? The Hero of Ferelden would be invaluable to the Inquisition, and she already has the support of the people. They will follow her, others will join our cause. We need her Cullen."

"The people idolize the Herald," Cullen told her. "Let Trevelyan lead us."

"You said yourself he barely knows what he is doing," Leliana said.

Cullen sighed. "A discussion for another time. We don't even know if she is alive."

"You would know in your heart if she were not," Leliana told him. "Let us see what news Trevelyan brings from Orlais."

**._.~`~._.*~*~*._.~`~._.**

Varric shifted his weight nervously as he stood between Cullen and Leliana. Without the comfort of Bianca on his back, he'd never felt more vulnerable. The war room made him uncomfortable, and knowing who they were waiting for only caused him more anxiety. "Are you sure you need me here for this?" he asked the two. "This isn't really my story to tell."

"Telling stories is your thing, no?" Leliana asked, casting her gaze upon the dwarf. "You're as much a part of this as we are."

"It wasn't my idea," Varric said. "And I barely had anything at all to do with it. That was all Curly."

Cullen rolled his eyes at the nickname. "I will take full responsibility for my actions in this, whatever the consequence," he stated.

"There will be no consequence," Leliana told them. "What's done is done. It's not like she has a Chantry to report us to, or a Divine or even the Seekers. But she needs to know."

"I get that," Varric replied. "But I don't get why I have to be here. Am I the scapegoat? I notice you two still have your weapons, leaving the dwarf to take the fall?"

Cullen sighed, and rested his hand on Varric's shoulder. "No harm shall come to you," he assured Varric. "If it wasn't for you and the others, we never would have been able to leave Kirkwall. I am eternally grateful for the time you allowed us to have. I will not forget it, nor will I allow you to take any fall for your actions. This is on me."

"It's on all of us," Leliana reminded Cullen.

The door to the war room opened and Josephine entered with Cassandra behind her. Cullen's squeezed Varric's shoulder gently before removing his hand, trying to comfort the dwarf whose entire body stiffened in fear when the Seeker walked into the room. "The Herald has confirmed reports from Leliana's scouts," Josephine informed them. "We have an invitation to Redcliffe from Grand Enchanter Fiona to begin negotiations with the mages."

"Why is the Herald not in this meeting?" Cassandra asked. "And more importantly, what is _he_ doing here?" she asked staring at Varric.

Josephine cleared her throat and backed herself into a corner of the room. "Leliana and Cullen have something they wish to discuss with you," she replied. "They felt it best to leave Trevelyan out of it for now."

"And the dwarf?" Cassandra asked again, her gaze not leaving his.

Varric took a step back under the scrutiny and put his hands up in front of him. "There's no need for the hostility," he began.

"The Hero of Ferelden is in Redcliffe," Cullen blurted out, hoping to shift Cassandra's focus from Varric.

"So we're going for the direct approach then?" Leliana muttered as she shook her head.

"She what?" Cassandra asked, studying the three guilty faces before her. "That can't be possible, as all three of you insisted you did not know of her whereabouts."

Cullen sighed. "We lied. Or rather, they lied to help me protect her, and have kept my secret up until this point. Before joining the Inquisition, Solona and I had been living in Redcliffe under Arl Teagan's protection."

"You lied?" Cassandra asked. "You lied," she said again, disbelieving it herself. "All of you. In Kirkwall, on the way to Kirkwall?" She turned her gaze toward Leliana. "If you knew this, why allow us to march to Kirkwall at all? To waste time and resources…"

Leliana interrupted. "No, not before. Our pursuit of her was real; I had no idea where she was, though I suspected she would head for the Commander. Her phylactery indeed led us to Kirkwall and that's when I assisted in helping her escape."

Cassandra gripped the side of the war table, trying to comprehend all she was hearing. "So the ambush in the city, the one you claimed caused the phylactery to be destroyed, another lie?"

"That was my doing," Varric revealed.

"A setup, yes," Leliana confirmed. "When I scouted ahead before our arrival into the city, I went to Cullen and gave him Solona's phylactery. The ambush was necessary to destroy the fake phylactery before you asked to use it again."

"Why?" Cassandra asked them. "Why lie to me about all this?"

"Your faith in the Seekers and the Chantry is honorable Cassandra," Leliana told her. "But what Solona discovered was enough to shatter mine. That the Chantry would willingly give templar's an addictive form of lyrium just to control them? The suffering those men and women have endured after pledging their lives to the Chantry? The madness they suffer after years of taking it? They swear an oath to protect Thedas from the dangers of magic, and the Chantry took advantage of that loyalty. They'd be fine with regular lyrium, and yet that was never enough. Always the need to be in control, always. That was not a Chantry I wanted to be a part of, give my own life for. I wanted Solona to be successful in letting the world know. After what happened to Dagna, I was not going to allow Solona to be captured if I could help it."

"What happened to Dagna was not our doing," Cassandra stated. "I admit some may have gone too far…"

"The Chantry went too far," Cullen interrupted. "It took months to get that vile substance out of my system, months of pain and nightmares and at times wondering what it was all for. When I discovered I could still perform as a templar without the altered lyrium, there was no other explanation other than what Leliana said. The Chantry wanted control. They used us to have control over the mages, and they used the altered lyrium to have control over us. One might wonder what they've done to the Seekers."

"You can't be suggesting…" Cassandra stopped herself, and now she too considered his words. Could the Chantry have done something to her during her vigil to have control over her? Was the ritual she endured truly to give her the abilities she possessed, or was it something more? She shook her head of these thoughts; they were for another time, away from an audience. "You should have told me," she finally whispered. "Before we started this, you should have told me."

Cullen nodded. "I agree, and I apologize for waiting so long. I didn't think it would matter, but now…"

"Now they can use her against us," Cassandra finished. "Against you." She thought for a moment on the situation, her mind racing with endless possibilities on how the support from the mages may come at a higher price than what they anticipated. "I take it you are telling me this because you have not heard from her?"

"There has been no communication," Cullen admitted. "I left her when word reached me about the forming of the conclave, and since then I have heard nothing. She wouldn't have known how to reach me until now, but with no word coming out of Redcliffe, I'm not certain what happened to her."

"Then I assume you destroyed her phylactery?" Cassandra asked.

"We did," Cullen replied. "We were not going to risk her being hunted again, and felt it best to destroy it rather than have it fall into the wrong hands."

"She may have joined with the rebel mages," Leliana offered. "Or continues to remain in hiding."

"Or the rebels have her," Cassandra stated, saying what they had all feared. "I will take the Herald to Redcliffe at once. Better to know what we are dealing with rather than speculate."

"Agreed," Cullen said, attempting to remove the various worst case scenarios running through his mind.

"We'll leave at first light," Cassandra told them. "Now, is there anything else I need to know?"

Leliana and Cullen remained silent, but a cough from the dwarf in between them shifted the mood in the room once more. "There may be one small thing," he said. Varric glanced up at Cullen as if looking for permission, knowing the final secret within the Inquisition involved him just as much.

Cullen sighed. "Might as well," he agreed. "There can be no more secrets if this Inquisition is to work."

Cassandra folded her arms across her chest and looked at both of them. "Tell me."

"Well," Varric began, clearing his throat. "It's about Hawke…"


	3. Chapter 3

She enjoyed the quiet tranquility her room at the Chantry brought her. Arl Teagan had it built especially for her, a place of refuge should she ever need it, and it was put to great use following the events of the Conclave. She needed to be in the city, to protect the people, and needed a place to stay where she could come and go unnoticed. When the Tevinter Magister and his people arrived just days after word spread that the Divine had perished, the Chantry was the only location completely unoccupied.

Within days of the Tevinter's arrival, Redcliffe Village became a place of chaos. Citizens were displaced from their homes, Chantry members asked (forced) to leave the city, and the castle was claimed by the Magister and his men. Teagan fled to Denerim in the hopes of gaining support in reclaiming his lands, but for those that remained, every day was full of tension at the unknown. The rebel mages only added to the growing tension, and the ominous breach in the sky did nothing to calm their fears. There was little she could do to help any of them, except walk among them unnoticed, gathering whatever information she could. Occasionally she was able to rejoin families separated in the chaos, under her hidden identity, but it was never enough. It would never be enough.

With each passing day, the situation in Redcliffe grew worse. The mage rebellion, once granted sanctuary in Redcliffe by Teagan as a place to remain safe from templars, had turned into a prison of their own making. Led by the former Grand Enchanter Fiona, she pledged their loyalty and services to the Magister. It was not a unanimous decision, but a decision nonetheless that was made. Many feared what this alliance meant for the mages, and she knew better than most that the outcome would be grave.

Tranquil were being forced to leave. The Chantry cleared out. Gates barred and their Arl forced to retreat. This was not the Redcliffe she had defended during the blight. This was not the Redcliffe she and her lover had called home. This was the beginning of the end, unless she found a way to stop it, to save them all.

With a frustrated sigh, she poured over the reports in front of her once more. The world just outside Redcliffe was faring no better. The Hinterlands were a constant battleground between those that chose to flee Redcliffe and the templars. Every day word arrived of new casualties, abandoned settlements, bandits moving in. She had never felt so helpless. A familiar sorrow began to take hold of her, until she felt the subtle change in the air. Another rift, and this one was closer than the one she had felt just outside Redcliffe Village's gates.

Much closer.

She pushed the false bookcase protecting her sanctuary just enough to allow her to see out into the Chantry. Her eyes focused on the eerie green glow that permeated from the center of the hall. "Shit," she said aloud as she reached for her staff.

"Precisely," a man replied, staff in hand as he began to battle the demons pouring out from the rift. "Any assistance you could offer would be most helpful," he stated as a purple glow began to form from his hands.

She took a moment to assess the situation. He wasn't anyone she had seen in the village before; she'd certainly remember the unique mustache that settled above his upper lip. And his style of dress was definitely not Ferelden. One of the Tevinters perhaps?

"This is no time for gawking," he said as he struggled with a shadowy demon.

Pushing her curiosity and better judgement aside, she drew upon her mana and cast an ice spell toward the demon he was tangled with. The spell locked the demon in place, allowing him the time to step back and get some distance. They worked in unison, keeping each other safe as best they could without the assistance of a warrior. For a time, her ice spells and his necromancy had been successful against the ghostly demons, but when shades began to appear, they were nearly overwhelmed.

A sound behind them caused them both to look, and she saw sunlight begin to stream through the Chantry doors. Quickly she cast one last spell to hold the demons in place before she retreated back to her sanctuary. Exposing herself to one man was risky enough; she wasn't about to make her presence known to more.

"Oh good, you're finally here," Dorian said as the doors flew opened and four strangers walked through. "Care to assist us in dealing with this rift?"

"Us?" a short dwarf asked, a confused expression on his face. Nevertheless, he began to ready a rather large crossbow.

Dorian looked around as well, but saw no sign of the woman that had just been helping him. "Well you know, figuratively speaking," he replied before his staff met the side of a shade's face. He noticed the faint green glow on the taller man's hand . "You can close it, yes?"

The man nodded as he retrieved a staff that was secured on his back. A bald elf and a large Qunari with an eyepatch also joined the fray, and instantly the room was a mass chaos of lightning, fire, ice, and arrows. The Qunari swung his great axe in large arcs, knocking down the demons for the others to finish off, and within minutes the rift was being sealed.

"Fascinating," Dorian said as he watched. "And I bet you have no idea how that works, do you?"

The man finished closing the rift, and his companions closed in to stand behind him. "Who are you?" the man asked. "I was expecting Felix. Do you know him?"

Dorian laughed. "If I didn't, you've just revealed to me who you're holding a secret meeting with in the abandoned Chantry. Lucky for you, and for Felix, that isn't the case. I am Dorian, of House Pavus..."

._.~`~._.*~*~*._.~`~._.

Hidden behind the false bookcase, she listened to the exchange of words between the men. Dorian's voice was easy to make out among the others, and she heard him mention that Alexius, the Tevinter Magister, was once his mentor. Dorian had set up this meeting with the Inquisition to warn them; Alexius had the ability to alter time, and had done so to convince the rebellious mages to join him.

Trevelyan was a name she had already heard throughout Redcliffe to be the Herald of Andraste, though he sounded more like a lost boy than a man. Unsure of himself, clearly awkward having to speak with anyone, and not very good at keeping secrets. He was a mage as well, but had difficulty accepting the fact that there could be a type of magic that could alter time. She wondered what secluded circle he had lived in before this to be so naive and doubtful. Mages can summon ice, fire, lightning, demons, raise the dead! Why did he find time altering magic to be so unfathomable?

She was still listening when Felix arrived, the son of Alexius, who informed them that his father was involved in a cult who were very interested in the Herald. Poor thing, she thought, this Herald didn't stand a chance against a Magister from Tevinter. He could barely hold his own in a conversation. They speculated for a few minutes as to why Alexius and this Venatori cult would want the Herald, but came to no real conclusions. Whatever the reason, if the Inquisition were to confront Alexius, Dorian offered his services.

"I should get back," Felix said. "It would do us no good to have my father realize I'm gone."

"Do be careful Felix," she heard Dorian say, followed by footsteps that led further from her position. Felix gave one final warning to the group before he too departed, and all that remained was Trevelyan and his company.

It wasn't until they started having their own exchange that she dared to peek from behind the bookcase. She thought she had recognized one of the voices, but needed to confirm for herself. It was risky, but confirmation would determine her next course of action.

Their backs were toward her, which she silently thanked the Maker for, and without having to hear another word, she knew her earlier assumption was correct. Varric Tethras; easy enough to spot anywhere with his beloved Bianca on his back. She thought for a brief moment that maybe it was worth revealing herself, seeking the aid of this Inquisition. Until she heard Varric speak.

"Cassandra's not going to like this," he said.

The Seeker that tracked her movements through Ferelden and eventually to Kirkwall. She had heard a Seeker joined the Inquisition, but she didn't know it was the very woman that hounded her for months. Maker, this was not good. Why had Varric joined with her?

"Is there anything she does like?" she saw a Qunari ask. "I don't know boss, but to me it sounds like finding the templars is a better way to go. These mages are screwed up and ass deep in Tevinter shit."

"Colorful as always Bull," Trevelyan stated. "We'll go back to Haven and discuss it with the others. Figure out all of our options before we proceed."

She saw a bald elf shake his head. "They'll expect you to start making your own decisions soon," he said. "The people look to you for guidance, not you and all of your advisors."

Varric laughed. "Like the people know half of what's going on. They just see a big green thing in the sky. Give the kid a break."

"_Kid_ being the operative word here," the elf muttered.

They began walking toward the exit. "What do you want from me Solas?" Trevelyan questioned the elf. "I didn't ask for any of this, remember?"

"Guidance? Leadership perhaps?" Solas replied. "A solution to something, anything, without a meeting and hours of discussion while rifts swallow the world and people die…"

She heard the large wooden door slam shut, and she took a deep breath, relieved to have remained safe and unnoticed. She hadn't expected the Inquisition to be so disorganized, even if in its early stages. If this was the blessed Herald of Andraste, the Maker did indeed have a sense of humor.

"You can come out now," Dorian called after the members of the Inquisition left the Chantry. His voice startled her; she had thought he had left. Was he to be trusted? She wasn't sure, but he had kept her a secret from them, so she risked further discussion.

"Thank you," she said to him after exiting her sanctuary. "I appreciate you not telling them I was here."

"What would I tell them?" Dorian asked with a shrug. "That some mysterious woman assisted me in battling the demons until their timely arrival and then she disappeared into thin air? Much better to have them believing I did all the hard work on my own."

His smile was warm and inviting, and she sighed a breath of relief as she allowed herself a moment to relax. Her fear of being discovered had nearly overwhelmed her, and she was thankful the Inquisition had left so quickly and that this man had made no mention of her. "Then I suppose it worked out for the both of us," she told him.

"Indeed," Dorian replied as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Now tell me, why is it the Inquisition terrifies you? I know you're a mage, but so is nearly everyone in Redcliffe, so it can't be that. Stolen merchandise? Killed a man? Or woman for that matter, why be sexist? Oh, I know, jilted lover?"

It was hard to resist smiling in the presence of Dorian, she quickly discovered. It was nice to not be so serious for a moment, however brief. "Nothing that simple," she responded. "So is it true? You're going to join the Inquisition to take down Alexius?"

Dorian shrugged. "The tall one hardly seems capable of doing much without anyone's help," he said. "He must have hit his head pretty hard when he fell out of the sky. Thankfully he has advisors and companions to cover the slack, but I doubt even they know the full extend of what Alexius is capable of. They'll need me."

"It sounds like they're torn," she told him. "There was talk it was too much, and they'd be better off seeking the aid of the templars."

"Yes, I had heard that," Dorian confirmed. "No matter. Once I go to Haven and convince them otherwise, the world will be a safer place."

She raised a brow at his statement. "You're sure you can sway their decision in favor of the mages?"

Dorian laughed. "Of course I'm sure," he replied. "Why wouldn't they listen to me? Doesn't appear that any of them have a mind as it is. They need me, and quite honestly I need them. What Alexius is doing threatens us all. He must be stopped."

"Then I wish you luck," she said, retreating into her room briefly to retrieve her pack. She rifled through its contents before she found what she was looking for. She returned to Dorian and handed him a rolled parchment. "If you can give this to the commander of the Inquisition's armies while you're there, I'd greatly appreciate it."

Dorian eyed the parchment with curiosity. "May I?" he asked. When she nodded her permission, he unrolled the paper and studied it for a moment. "This is…exquisite. The details are astonishing. Yours?"

She nodded again as she put on her cloak and slung her pack on her back. "That should help you find him, and may also help you persuade him to assist us."

"Us?" Dorian questioned. "Am I to assume that means you'll be assisting in this confrontation as well?"

"When the time is right, yes," she told him.

"It might help if there were a name to go along with this," Dorian added.

"He'll know," she replied as she walked toward the exit of the Chantry. "But the name's Solona. Solona Amell."

Dorian's eyes widened. "Solona Amell? As in the Hero of Ferelden? Vanquisher of the fifth blight? The woman solely responsible for bringing to light the Chantry's evil doings over their own templars? The very name on the lips of every citizen of this city?"

Solona laughed at the list of titles he had delivered. "I suppose so, yes, the very same." Her expression turned grave as she continued. "The people of Redcliffe don't deserve what has happened here. The mages don't either. They were desperate, and Alexius presented them with safety and security. Maker help me, that man will pay if any further harm should come to these people. They..._we_...have all been through enough."

Dorian nodded. "I'll do what I can," he said.

She was about to leave, but Solona turned, curious enough to ask him one last question. "This time magic you spoke of," Solona began. "Couldn't it be used to fix this mess somehow instead of add to it?"

Dorian laughed. "If it worked that way, I'd go back and correct every mistake I've ever made," he replied. "How far back would you consider enough? Before the Conclave? Before the blights? Before the first inquisition that led to the inevitable war between mages and templars? It is a dangerous magic, as we're discovering here in this very scenario. We never should have created it."

Solona sighed. "I see your point. Still, a fascinating achievement. Maybe someday we can talk further about it."

Dorian bowed. "The pleasure would be mine," he said. "Do be safe out there. I can only imagine what Alexius would do if he knew you were about."

"Same to you," she said. "I wish you luck in Haven."

"I have a feeling I'll need more than luck," he said to no one after she left. Securing her parchment inside his battle robes, Dorian left shortly after.

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><p><em><strong>Author's note: Many thanks to EilonwyCousland QueenofTragedy for answering my distress call, and all those that continue to review, favorite, andor follow this story.**_


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